Roof safety delays orange light on Capitol to remember those housed at Genoa boarding school
Feb 18, 2025 | 6:00 am ET
Description
A stone in Valley View Cemetery commemorating the reburial of over 800 Pawnee, is seen on Nov. 21, 2021 in Genoa, Nebraska. Researchers recently confirmed that at least 87 Native American children died at the Genoa U.S. Indian School and have identified 50 of the students though the actual death toll is likely higher. The remains of several thousand Native American children have been found or identified at former residential schools in Canada and the United States. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
LINCOLN — The Nebraska State Capitol will be bathed in orange light later this month to remember and honor the survivors and descendants of the Genoa Industrial School.
On Tuesday, state officials announced that the lighting of the State Capitol to remember those housed at the Genoa boarding school would be delayed from Thursday to Feb. 27 due to “unsafe conditions” on the roof of the Capitol.
The Nebraska Legislature has designated Feb. 20 as an annual day of remembrance for those impacted by the Genoa boarding school, which was part of a federal policy aimed at forcibly assimilating Native American children into Western culture. The Genoa Indian Industrial School operated from 1884 to 1934.
The color orange is now associated with Indian boarding schools, and symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom, and identity
experienced by Native American children who attended the schools.
“The lighting of the Capitol in orange … acknowledges the painful legacy of forced assimilation, while also honoring the strength, resilience, and courage of those who survived, as well as their descendants,” said Judi gaiashkibos, executive
director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs in a press release.
Daryl Bohac, who was recently appointed director of the Nebraska State Historical Society, said the lighting is “a visible commitment to understanding and honoring this tragic part of Nebraska history, as well as an invitation for all Nebraskans to engage in dialogue and reflection.”
The Commission on Indian Affairs and the State Historical Society are continuing to investigate and document the lives of children who died at the Genoa Industrial School and were buried on its grounds.
Editor’s note: This article has been revised to reflect a change in the date the Capitol will be lit in orange.
Lincoln, NE